Set Free to go Home was composed in the fall of 2019. It was commissioned by Dr. Kristen Tjornehoj, Conductor of the University of Wisconsin at River Falls Symphony Band in remembrance of Kaye Bird, who passed away in 2016 as a resident of River Falls and a member of the community for several years. Kaye Bird was also a resident of Indiana, PA for 37 years and was a well respected teacher in the public schools there. Set Free to go Home was premiered by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Symphony Band at Fisher Auditorium on February 6, 2020, conducted by Dr. Jason Worzbyt. It is agrade 3 band piece with a duration of five minutes. It is published by Musica Nova USA and availableon sheetmusicplus.com and jwpepper.com.
Performance Notes: Set Free to go Home was composed with flexible instrumentation in mind.There are several instruments listed in the score that would enhance the piece (such as harp, oboes,double bass, ect.) but are not necessary to convey a successful performance. For example, if there are not five percussionists available, the piece may be played by less performers with the use of a drumkit, with one person playing two or more parts. This composition can sound very good whether thereare fifteen players or a band with one hundred players.
Gregory Fritze is a prize-winning composer and Fulbright Scholar, as well as an active performer and conductor. His compositions have been performed more than one thousand times in over twenty-six countries. He has written over ninety compositions for orchestra, band, chamber ensembles and soloists. He has won over sixty composition awards both nationally and internationally, includingFirst Prize in the 1st WASBE (World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles) International Composition Contest 2017, First Prize Winner of Reneé Fisher Composition Prize, First Prize Winnerin Concurso Bienal de Composición de Musica para Banda, Ciudad de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain), Menzione d’Onore (highest award given) of the Mario Bernardo Angelo-Comneno International MusicCompetition by the Accademia Angelica Costantiniana Arti E Scienze (Italy), First Prize in the TUBA International Etude Composition Competition, the IBLA Grand Prize (Italy), 2nd Prize in the 2nd WASBE International Composition Contest 2019, several awards from The American Prize, annual composition awards from Standard Awards Panel of American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers andmany others. He has been commissioned by The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, The Army Band Pershing’s Own of Washington, DC, The Banda Municipal of Bilbao, The Primativa de Lliria,and others. His compositions include works published by several publishers in the United States, SouthAmerica and Europe and have been performed extensively throughout the world.
He has thirty-three compositions commercially recorded on Albany Records, MSR Classics, Crystal Records, Mark Records and others. He has been a guest lecturer, conductor and performer atmany colleges, universities and music festivals in the United States, Canada, Japan, South America and Europe. He was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1954 and has Composition degrees from the Boston Conservatory and Indiana University. He now resides in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida.
